Haji Ali, Mahim Dargah close for devotees amid Covid-19 pandemic

No devotees will be allowed to enter the landmark shrines, the Haji Ali Dargah and the Mahim Dargah in Mumbai, in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was announced on Thursday, reported The Economic Times.

The decision was taken post the announcement of the Maharashtra government to avoid crowding in public spaces as a precautionary measure to stop the transmission of the Coronavirus, said Suhail Khandwani, Managing Trustee of Mahim Dargah and a Trustee of the Haji Ali Dargah.

Khandwani said, “We were discussing the issue with various authorities for the past few days. The decision was necessary in interest of the city. People’s lives are of paramount importance."

Both the shrines are famous for attracting Muslim and non-Muslim devotees every year.

Following the government’s advisory to control the pandemic, many religious organizations throughout the country have either closed down for a few days or are limiting the number of devotees and ensuring sanitization facilities in the premises to ensure their safety.

In Mumbai, the famous Siddhivinayak Temple, Mahalakshmi Temple and ISKCON temple have already closed doors to devotees until March 31 for now.

Also, the Catholic Archbishop of Mumbai announced the suspension of Novena services at St. Michael Church, Mahim, until further orders.

While the Parsi community called off celebrations to commemorate Avaroz last Sunday, the Dawoodi Bohra Community too has shut the mausoleum of their religious leaders Syedna Taher Saifuddin and Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin at Bhendi Bazaar as a precautionary measure, reported Hindustan Times.

Haji Ali, Mahim Dargah close for devotees amid Covid-19 pandemic

No devotees will be allowed to enter the landmark shrines, the Haji Ali Dargah and the Mahim Dargah in Mumbai, in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was announced on Thursday, reported The Economic Times.

The decision was taken post the announcement of the Maharashtra government to avoid crowding in public spaces as a precautionary measure to stop the transmission of the Coronavirus, said Suhail Khandwani, Managing Trustee of Mahim Dargah and a Trustee of the Haji Ali Dargah.

Khandwani said, “We were discussing the issue with various authorities for the past few days. The decision was necessary in interest of the city. People’s lives are of paramount importance."

Both the shrines are famous for attracting Muslim and non-Muslim devotees every year.

Following the government’s advisory to control the pandemic, many religious organizations throughout the country have either closed down for a few days or are limiting the number of devotees and ensuring sanitization facilities in the premises to ensure their safety.

In Mumbai, the famous Siddhivinayak Temple, Mahalakshmi Temple and ISKCON temple have already closed doors to devotees until March 31 for now.

Also, the Catholic Archbishop of Mumbai announced the suspension of Novena services at St. Michael Church, Mahim, until further orders.

While the Parsi community called off celebrations to commemorate Avaroz last Sunday, the Dawoodi Bohra Community too has shut the mausoleum of their religious leaders Syedna Taher Saifuddin and Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin at Bhendi Bazaar as a precautionary measure, reported Hindustan Times.

This scathing open letter on face book exposes not just the ill-informed rants of the former minister and BJP Member of Parliament (MP) from Sultanpur, Maneka Gandhi but challenges her and her party to please enact a law not to use elephants (or cranes) in public gatherings, festivals and processions, which the writer says will get all Kerala’s support

This scathing open letter on face book exposes not just the ill-informed rants of the former minister and BJP Member of Parliament (MP) from Sultanpur, Maneka Gandhi but challenges her and her party to please enact a law not to use elephants (or cranes) in public gatherings, festivals and processions, which the writer says will get all Kerala’s support

Videos

In this SabrangIndia exclusive video, Pandit Anindya Banerjee, classical musician Kallol Ghoshal and folk researcher Niladri Sekhar DasSharma talk about the Influence of Islam on Indian Music and how the Sufis, known for their great love for music and acceptance of many indigenous customs, allowed Syncretism to flourish in Bengal.

In this SabrangIndia exclusive video, Pandit Anindya Banerjee, classical musician Kallol Ghoshal and folk researcher Niladri Sekhar DasSharma talk about the Influence of Islam on Indian Music and how the Sufis, known for their great love for music and acceptance of many indigenous customs, allowed Syncretism to flourish in Bengal.